1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bowling apparatus provided with a system for automatically detecting the number of the remaining pins in the bowling game apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Arts
The conventional prior arts incorporating an electrooptical apparatus for the identification of pins in the bowling game are as follows. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 49-96834, 61-98272, and 48-94541 disclose an apparatus using a photodetector which responds to a light reflected from the upstanding pins, an apparatus utilizing image signals for the neck of each of pins, and an apparatus in which the bowling form of a bowler or the like is photographed by a television camera for displaying it on a monitor television, respectively.
These conventional apparatus, however, involve disadvantages in that a further specific illuminating device is required or the identification of the pins is often unstable due to the insufficiency of data used to determine the presence or absence of the pins. In order to overcome such problems, the applicant of the present invention has invented an apparatus in which the number of the remaining pins can be determined by digitally analyzing image data obtained by photographing the pins from the upper front with a television camera. FIG. 2 shows an image of the pins obtained by photographing them from the upper front.
In this case, as positions of image data for detecting the presence or absence of pins, some conventional examples use three points designated by reference numerals 5, 6 and 7 which are located at the head of a pin as shown in FIG. 3.
Providing that the number of the remaining pins is determined through the digital analysis of the image data obtained by photographing the pins from the upper front, the measurement points 8, 9, and 10 provided on the head of the first pin 1 adversely coincides with the neck of the fifth pin 2 due to the camera angle from the upper front. Accordingly, if the first pin is knocked down whereas the fifth pin remains standing, the measurement points of the first pin which would be otherwise located at the head thereof fall upon the neck of the fifth pin, which may cause an unstable recognition of the first pin, thus leading to an erroneous judgment.
Therefore, presently carried out is a method in which the measurement points signified by reference numerals 11, 12 and 13 in FIG. 5 are provided in the region closer to the bottom of the first pin, and the determination is performed based on the image data thereof. This method is rather effective, which may prevent the erroneous judgment to a certain extent. Nevertheless, if the first pin 1 is knocked down in the vicinity of the measurement positions of the first pin as shown in FIG. 6 when detecting the signals of the image data near the bottom the first pin, an erroneous detection may take place that the first pin remains standing at the predetermined position.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the image data obtained by photographing the pins from the upper front thereof are subjected to a digital analysis for the determination the number of the remaining pins, characterized in that the measurement positions of the image data are set so as to determine the present or absence of, in particular, the first pin without any fault.